Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 19: Killing Techniques

Liang Song sat at the stone table, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands as he leisurely watched Lin Zheyu practice his punches. When he saw Lin Zheyu able to coordinate his punches with the internal breathing method, his eyes widened in surprise.

I only taught him the internal breathing method a little over ten days ago, and he's already reached this level! thought Liang Song, astonished.

To incorporate the breathing method into a fist technique, one must first grasp its essence and then go through rigorous practice. An average martial artist couldn't achieve it without several months of hard training. A more gifted one might do it in about a month, but Lin Zheyu had done it in just over ten days.

This kid really is a martial arts prodigy! Liang Song sighed in admiration, even feeling a twinge of envy.

Back when Liang Song had first learned the internal breathing method, it had taken him a full month to integrate it into his martial techniques, yet Lin Zheyu had managed it in less than twenty days. To encounter such a gifted martial cultivation talent in a small place like Songyi City was truly an unexpected delight.

"If I'd known earlier, I would have been more attentive when teaching him," muttered Liang Song under his breath.

He carefully observed Lin Zheyu, who stood with his legs slightly apart, lowered into a squat as an invisible aura spread from him. He stomped his foot sharply, and his leg muscles tensed with sudden force.

A surge of power shot from his legs and channeled through his waist to his arms. His upper body tilted slightly as both fists burst forth with overwhelming force, like the thrust of two bull horns. In that instant, every muscle in his body exploded into action, flooding his arms with power that transformed into a fearsome offensive as both fists struck out.

Crack.

At the instant his fists blasted out, a sound of tendon-bone resonance echoed from within Lin Zheyu's body. Over twenty minutes later, he finished a full set of the fist technique.

Clap, clap, clap.

"Not bad, very good," said Liang Song, applauding in approval. "But there are a few areas you need to pay attention to. The training methods for the Bone Forging Realm are slightly different from those for the Muscle Forging Realm. You can't train with the same mindset you had back then. First, while you're in the Bone Forging Realm, you need to focus here, here, and here..."

Liang Song began giving pointers, indicating the parts Lin Zheyu needed to improve in his recent practice. Without guidance, these details and points of caution would have taken painstaking effort to figure out.

As Lin Zheyu listened to Master Liang's explanation, his eyes grew increasingly bright. Without Liang Song's instruction today, Lin Zheyu might have needed to enter that special state again and go through long periods of training before slowly figuring it out.

"Alright, try running through it again," said Liang Song.

"Yes, Master," replied Lin Zheyu respectfully.

He stepped into the center of the courtyard, silently recalling Master Liang's instructions and comparing them one by one with his previous experience. His understanding of the Barbaric Ox Fist deepened further.

Bang.

Thud, thud.

Crack.

The sounds of Lin Zheyu practicing punches echoed through the courtyard, the cracks from tendon-bone resonance growing more and more frequent. This was the sound produced in the Bone Forging Realm when tendons and bones collided in resonance. When the sound became so frequent that all the tendons and bones in the body resonated together, it was a sign of reaching Advanced Mastery in the Bone Forging Realm.

"Good, very good..." murmured Liang Song as he nodded repeatedly. The more he watched Lin Zheyu, the more satisfied he became. He continued to observe Lin Zheyu's training, occasionally speaking up to point out mistakes. Soon, more than two hours had gone by.

"Take a break," Liang Song called out.

Breathing heavily, Lin Zheyu stopped, sat beside Master Liang, and drained the cup of tea his master had brewed into his body.

"Your Barbaric Ox Fist is showing some refinement. Next, I'll talk to you about real combat," Liang Song said as he slowly refilled the cup Lin Zheyu had just emptied.

"Martial arts are killing techniques. Training in martial arts ultimately serves the purpose of killing. When facing an enemy, having a higher martial cultivation realm or greater strength doesn't necessarily mean you will win.

"In true combat, many factors influence victory or defeat. There are factors like martial will, martial killing moves, martial wisdom, and more. Simply put, combat is about using strength to strike against weakness.

"Being able to quickly see through an opponent's weaknesses and steering the situation to your advantage to create a position where strength strikes against weakness, that is real combat.

"Using force against itself, assassinations, ambushes, or poison, these are all means of steering the battle toward striking weakness with strength. Real combat is extremely cruel. When facing an enemy, never show mercy or hesitation, because you can never be sure whether what he shows you is genuine or just bait to lure you in," said Liang Song slowly.

***

Liang Song recounted the combat insights he had gained over the better part of his life, one by one, to Lin Zheyu. He didn't care whether Lin Zheyu could fully absorb them or not; he simply poured it all out and crammed it into Lin Zheyu's mind. Among them were dozens of classic battle experiences and over a hundred combat analyses.

"Master, please slow down," Lin Zheyu couldn't help but say.

Hearing this, Liang Song let out a speechless laugh, realizing he had been too hasty. Seeing such outstanding talent in Lin Zheyu, Liang Song couldn't help but want to teach him everything at once.

"That's enough for today. Go back and think it over carefully. Come back tonight, and I'll teach you real combat engagement," said Liang Song.

After a moment of hesitation, Lin Zheyu voiced the question that had been weighing on his heart: "Master, are you leaving Songyi City?"

Liang Song had been acting strangely today, eager to teach Lin Zheyu everything he knew as if worried about running out of time.

"You noticed?" Liang Song didn't seem surprised, saying, "In a few days, I'll be leaving to take care of some matters. It will be a long time before I return... or I might not come back at all."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Lin Zheyu as worry rose in his heart.

Master Liang was perhaps the person who had treated him the best since he came to this world. Although Liang Song had never formally taken him as a disciple, Lin Zheyu had always called him Master.

"Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous. I'm just getting old, and I want to visit some old friends and settle a few long-standing grudges," said Liang Song with a carefree smile. "Alright, off you go. Remember to close the door on your way out."

Liang Song waved his hand and picked up Lin Zheyu's manuscript to read.

"A true hero serves the country and the people... this kid's stories are truly interesting," muttered Liang Song, chuckling warmly and sipping tea as he read.

***

During the afternoon, Jade Pill Teahouse was livelier than usual today, with many unfamiliar faces.

"Manager Wu, who are those people? They look unfamiliar," asked Lin Zheyu curiously.

After more than a month, the Jade Pill Teahouse's audience had become almost fixed. It was usually the same people coming and going, most of whom Lin Zheyu recognized, but today there were more than a dozen new faces.

"Just a passing trade caravan. Songyi City has been livelier recently. Because of the spreading war, many caravans from border towns have fled, passing through Songyi City on their way to the central regions," said Manager Wu. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The war showed signs of expanding, and even Songyi City was feeling its effects. Gradually, people had become much more cautious with their spending, and the tips Lin Zheyu received each day had noticeably decreased.

"No wonder they look unfamiliar," said Lin Zheyu. He nodded and stepped onto the storyteller's stage.

Smack!

With a single rap of the wooden clapper, a story began to flow smoothly from his lips. As the story unfolded, the plot grew increasingly captivating. Master Liang sat by the window, listening intently, though his thoughts occasionally wandered to unknown places.